Tor cekesole



Feb. 5 1924.

P. A. V. CERESOLE CONTACT BREAKER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 4, 1925 s Shets-Shaet 1 Eula. deresah wqe'm- 'wza Feb. 5, 1924. 1,482,969

F. A. v. CERESOLE CONTACT BREAKER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 4 1923' a Sheets-Sheet z 0 4 1! Y .m A; v L w W 5 WM 1 a Feb. 5, 1924. 1,482,969

P. A. v. CERESOLE CONTACT BREAKER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 4, 2 L92?m 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 5s 60 Z7zae2z Z07 63 T4142 02 ama Ze,

Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

PAUL AUGUSTE VICTOR CERESOLE, OF'LONDON, ENGLAND.

CONTACT BREAKER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Applicationfiled January 4, 1823. Serial No. 610,666.

T 0011 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL-Ancestral VIC- ron CnRnsoLn, a. citizen of the Swiss Republic, residing at 13-1 \Vestbourne Terrace, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Contact Breakers for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to a contactbreaking device for use with internal combustionengines, by means of which the ig nition point can be varied automatically.

Contact-breaking devices of this kind are already known in which the variation of the ignition point in accordance with the speed of rotation, is attained by means of a mass under the action of centrifugal force which pivots upon the plate of the contact-breaking mechanism and causes shifting of the entire apparatus relative to the driving member (cheek of the armature of the magneto) so that the triplever carried by the plate and effecting breakage of the contact, is shifted to a corresponding extent when it comes into contact with fixed abutments; the spark being thus given with a certain delay or advance according to circumstances. In these apparatus, which are'of a rather delicate form of construction, certain drawbacks are encountered which are due to theinertia of: the entire apparatus, which inertia has to be overcome by the centrifugal mass at each variation ofspeed. Furthermore, these apparatus are complicated and are difficult of adjustment.

The object of the present invention is to obviate these drawbacks, in that only the trip-lever is displaced relative to the apparatus under the action of the centrifugal mass, While the rest of the apparatus remains continuously connected'to'the driving member.

Various forms of execution of the invention are shown diagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig." 1 is a front View of the device adapted for use with ignition magnetos.

Fig. 2 is a section along line 20--2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the device applied to an ignition apparatus of the Delco type and mounted in the bas of a distributor of thiskind, it being supposed that the upper portion enclosing the distributor proper has been removed.

F igAt is a vertical axial section of thedevice shownin'Fig. 3, and of the distributor.

Fig.5 shows a modification of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 represents a modification of Fig. 1, applicable to the case where the contacts to be separated do not rotate with the conmeans of a central screw of the usual type engaging in a boss3 which is insulated from, but is fixed to the plate 1. This boss carries a leaf spring 4 which is curved as shown and is provided with a platinum contact 5, located opposite another adjustable platinum contact 6 fixed to theplate 1 which is connected to the body of the apparatus by a carbon'7. The contacts 5 and 6 are located in the usual manner in the'primary circuit. The extremity 8 of the spring 4 carrying the contact, is, bent round according to an arc of a circle having its centre at 0 and can'be reinforced by a counter plate 8'. A triplever 9 of insulating material is pivoted at 10 upon forked lever ll pivoted itself-upon a central sleeve 12 which is fitted concentrically in the plate 1 and is held in place by the boss 3. The trip lever 9 has a heel 13 which acts upon the extremity 8 ofthe contact carrier 4 and separates the contacts 5 and 6 each time the trip-lever 9 comes into contact by means of its tip 14 with one or more fixed abutments (not shown) which are arranged in the usual manner in the casing of'the apparatus. The amplitude of oscillation of the trip-lever 9 ahoutthe'point 10 is limitedby a distance-piece 15 fixed in the forked 161 81 11.

The means by which the variation of the point of ignition is obtained will now be described; A regulating mass 17, subject to the action of centrifugal force, can pivot at 16 upon the plate 1, the said mass having its free end connected to the lever 11 by two links 18. The pivot 19 connecting these links to the mass 17 extends into a groove 20 of the plate 1 which limits the amplitude of movement of the whole. The mass 17 subjected to centrifugal force is drawn towards the centre by a sprin 21 fixed to the plate 1 which can abut against a boss 22 of the plate. The spring 21 may comprise a plurality of leaves. Furthermore, the action thereof may be completed or replaced by a spring fitted in the groove 20 and acting upon the shaft 19 either under tension or compression.

The method of operation is as follows:

Under the action of centrifugal force the regulating mass 17 moves away to a greater or less extent and causes the lever 11 to rotate so that the tip is encounters the fixed abutments at moments which vary according to the position of the centrifugal mass 17 and, accordingly, the break of contact between 5 and 6 takes place with more or less advance or delay.

It will be noticed that the rotation of the lever ll has in itself no action upon the contact carrier 4 in view of the concentric curvature of the extremity 8.

In order to facilitate the assembla e of the apparatus as regards its angular position relative to the check of the armature, the following device has been provided: The cone 2 is provided on its larger surface with radial teeth which correspond to a similar set of teeth provided at 23 on the lower face of the disk. The two sets of teeth are held in engagement by means of a screw E l which engages in a groove 25 of a circular boss 26 integral with the plate 1. By slightly slacking back the screw 2&- it is possible to separate the two sets of teeth to enable the desired angular relation to be obtained, it is then suflicient to tighten up the screw 24:, which furthermore plays the part of a stop pin cooperating with a groove formed in the check of the armature or driving member.

The device which is described above with. reference to Figures 1 and 2 can be modified with a view to its adaptation to ignition systems of the Delco type.

In the Delco and similar types, the generator furnishes the current for charging the accumulators for starting and for lighting purposes and ignition. is effected by means of a secondary circuit which generates high tension current caused l rythmical breakage of contact according to the cycle of the internal combustion engine and effected by a contact-breaker placed in a primary circuit and fed by the generator or by the accumulators. These high tension currents are fed to the sparking plugs by means of a rotary distributor which, as a general rule, is mounted on the same shaft as the contactbreaker.

According to the present invention, the circuit breaker already described is mounted upon the rotary shaft of the Delco distributor and effects breakage of the primary circuit. With this end in view, the entire plate of the contact-breaker is body-connected and 1n consequence is connected to one of the extremities of the primary, while the platinum tipped fixed screw is insulated from the plate and connected electrically to a brush which rubs upon an insulated ring connected to the other extremity of the primary.

This form of construction of the circuit breaking mechanism is shown in Figs. 3 and a, in which the plate 1, the boss 3, the leaf spring l, and the movable platinum tipped contact 5 are to be seen. The fixed platinum tipped contact 6, the trip-lever 9, the lever 11 of the trip-lever and the centrifugal governing mass 17, theconnecting link 18 and the spring 21 which tends to return the mass subject to centrifugal force, are also shown.

The plate 1 carries the fixed contact 6 having a screw'with a platinum tip by the intermediary of an insulating member 30 connected to a brush 31 which bears upon a connecting ring 32 connected by a conductor 33 to one of the extremities of the primary winding, the other extremity of which is connected to the body of the apparatus. in contradistinction to the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the boss 3 is not insulated. from the plate and it is therefore connected to the body of the engine by this plate and by the shaft 34 of the circuit breaker and of the distributor. The primary circuit therefore passes through the conductor 33, the ring 32, the carbon 31, the member 30, the fixed screw 6 having a platinum tip, the movable platinum tipped contact 5, the spring t, the plate 3 and returns to the body of the apparatus through the shaft 36%. the other extremity of the primary coil being connected itself to the body of the apparatus.

In order to ensure a better connection of the plate 1 to the body of the apparatus, in view of the fact that the shaft 3st is only in contact with the other metallic portions by means of its bearings, which are generally lubricated, brushes 35 are provided which bear against the external periphery of the plate 1.

The contact-lnrealring mechanism as a whole is mounted in a casing 36 having cams 37. 38 which act upon the trip-lever 9. These cams are carried by a ring enclosed in. the casing 36.

At the bottom of th casing 36 there is arranged the insulated collecting ring 32 and the bottom of this casing has a boss 40 which serves as a bearing for the shaft 34.

The casing 36 is closed by a cover 41 upon which is mounted a distributing casing i2, which is recessed and carries in the Wall thereof a certain number of contact stuns 43 each of which corresponds to a sparking plug of the explosion engine. In a central portion 4.4 which is insulated electrically. there is arranged a brush 45 bearing against the centre of a non-conducting rotary arm l6 keyed upon a prolongation of the shaft 34:

and rubbing upon the succwsive contacts 43.

The secondary winding is connected by one of its extremities to the body of the engine While its other extremity -is connected to' the insulated member 44 and to the brush 45. The arm 46 is insulated butthe-cul'rent fed thereto by the brush 45 is led to the extremity of the arm 46 by a conducting member for the purpose of being distributed to the contact members 43 in the skIlOWIl manner.

It will be understood that under the action of centrifugal force the moment of breakage of the contact between the contacts 5 and 6 will be either advanced or re tarded, so that the generation of the electromotive forces induced from the secondary coil will be either advanced or retarded and these forces will be transmitted to the contacts 43, having at the same time an advance or retardation according to the speed of the apparatus.

The modification shown in Fig. 5 consists in that the movable contact 5 of Fig. l, instead of being carried by a spring, is carried in Fig. 5, by a lever 47, pivoting at 48 and pressed against the fixed contact 49 by a spring 50. The tail 51 of the lever 47 which is acted upon by the trip-lever 9 is curved. concentrically to the axis of the contactbreaker, in the same way as the spring 4 of Fig. l. The corresponding parts in Figs. 1 and 5 are designated by the same reference numerals.

When it is desired that the contacts to be separated shall not rotate with the contact-breaker, the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 may be adapted. In this figure it is assumed that two circuits are to be broken simultaneously and, with this end in view, the plate 51 of the contact-breaker is keyed upon the distributing shaft 0.

In proximity to this plate is mounted a trip-lever 52 arranged along a diameter and loose upon the shaft 0. The extremities of the trip-lever 52 are each connected b a link to a. centrifugal mass 54, pivoting at 55 upon the plate 51; springs 56 tend to draw the masses 54 towards the centre. The extremities of the diametral trip-lever 52 can act upon rolls 57 carried by levers 58 pivoting at 59 upon a fixed member 60. The free end of each lever 58 carries a movable platinum contact 61 placed opposite the fixed platinum contact 62. A spring 63 presses the contacts 61 and 62 against each other.

\Vhen in operation, the trip-lever 52 acts at each half revolution, either by one extremity orby the other, upon the levers 58 in such a way that each of the contacts is interrupted twice per revolution. trifugal masses 54 displace the trip lever 52 relative to the plate 51 by an angle which varies with the speed so that automatic va- The cenv riation of the instant at which each contact is broken is ensured.

According to Figure 7, the trip lever '62 which takes the place of the trip lever 52 of Figure 6, and is mounted and influenced in the same manner as this latter, carries, fixed thereon,a cam 64 of small diameter which acts upon-the levers 58. This arrangement permits of reducing the overall dimensionsas to diameter as compared with the device of Figure 6.

The invention has only been described and shown by way of a purely explanatory example which is in no way limitative and it is obvious that details thereof could be modifled without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A contact-breaking device for internal combustion engines comprising a drivin shaft, a plate mounted on said shaft, a lever pivoted on said shaft, a centrifugal mass mounted on said plate and connectedv to said lever, a trip-lever mounted on said lever and adapted to be adjusted angularly by the centrifugal mass, a fixed contact, a movable contact and fixed abutments with which said trip-lever engages to separate said contacts.

2. A contact-breaking device for internal combustion engines, comprising a driving shaft, a plate mounted on said shaft, a lever pivoted on said shaft, a centrifugal mass mounted on said plate and connected to said lever, a trip-lever mounted on said lever and adapted to be adjusted angularly by the centrifugal mass, a fixed contact, a spring carried by said plate, a contact pressed by said spring against said fixed contact and fixed abutments with which said trip lever engages to deflect said spring to separate said contacts.

3. A contact-breaking device for internal combustion engines comprising a driving shaft, a plate mounted on said shaft, a lever pivoted on said shaft, a centrifugal mass mounted on said plate and connected to said lever, a trip-lever mounted on said lever and adapted to be adjusted. angularly by the centrifugal mass, a fixed contact, a spring carried by said plate and having its free end bent round to a radius struck from the centre of said shaft, a contact carried by said spring and pressed thereby against said fixed contact, and fixed abutments with which said trip-lever engages to deflect said spring to separate said contacts.

4. A contact-breaking device for internal combustion engines comprising a driving shaft, a plate mounted on said shaft, a lever pivoted on said shaft, a centrifugal mass mounted on said plate and connected to said lever, a trip-lever pivoted on said lever, a fixed contact-mounted on said plate, a contact-carrying arm pivoted on said plate, said arm having its tail curved along an arc struck from the centre of said shaft, means for pressing said contacts together and fixed abutments with which said trip-lever engages for the purpose of actuating said arm to separate said contacts.

5. A contact-breaking device for internal combustion engines, comprising a driving shaft, a plate mounted on said shaft, a triplever loosely mounted on said shaft, a centrifugal mass mounted on said plate and connected to said trip-lever, a fixed contact mounted non-rotatably relative to said plate, a pivoted arm carrying a second contact, means for pressing said contacts together, a roll carried by said pivoted arm and adapted to be engaged by said triplever to separate said contacts.

PAUL AUGUSTE VICTOR CERESOLE. 

